Strength
by headphone frenzy
Summary: Things always boiled down to the want for perfection, the need for it. And yet, the populous was blind to the fact that their ruler was anything but the ideal image. Frings knew this, however, and allowed it easily. One Shot. Fluff. Peony x Frings.


Strength.

Emperors were meant to be strong right? They were meant to rule the kingdom with a respected monarchy and never do anything that could ever upset anyone ever, right? They were supposed to be there when situations were their most severe, and hold their head high and mighty without a single thought of cowardice, right?

Wrong.

They are all simply human.

Peony, however, always felt like he was above-human, and that was expected to hold the kingdom on his shoulders without even being allowed to complain. Rights were something he was denied from day one. Sure he had a cushioned life, but he would have easily traded it, he hated not being able to choose his own clothes, food, schedules, and even living places! He had everything lined up for him, and he would have killed to have gone somewhere outside of his rustic old mansion in Keterburg for his childhood, he would have loved to have been able to attend school normally, and be greeted all the same by a loving mother and –god forbid- his father.

Fathers.

Who needed them?

Sure, they held the kingdom from ruin, but they also destroyed Hod, made war with Kimlasca, and were never there to give Peony the childhood he so rightfully deserved. Even to this day he was upset, but he couldn't have stayed upset over a little spilt milk and an apology that his father never gave him.

Emperors were meant to be tough, right? They were meant to be fortified through and through and never cry over scraped knees and missed birthdays, right?

They were built that way.

The Emperors of every generation were brought up with the understanding that the world fell upon them, and they were meant to meet their duties with a straight face and a serious attitude. Peony, however, had neither of these.

After growing up with an absent father, he became attached to his loving mother -who even then was hardly present either- and ended up being more susceptible to weeping at the end of operas and getting emotional over sunsets. His father, ever busy with the war, was so disgusted by his son, after seeing his 'girly' behavior, that he sent him away from his mother as well, every half-year, to live in the capitol and learn to properly read and write.

While in his classes in the capitol, he became attached to no one.

He was strong, after all, and he had to stay loyal.

Not to his father, or his mother, but his friends back home.

Though, years after his hate for his absent father had been fully rooted, once he had become emperor himself, he realized that what his father did was only preparing him for the real world. The world filled with books and words, hate more often then not, and a striking disposition of wealth over well-being.

Peony hated this concept with a burning passion, and figured that he didn't want to be that way.

He would rule the world with only the best of intentions.

So, whenever a sparkling young officer came to promotion, over and over rising through the ranks, ending up as General, he realized someone who could help him in his goals. An albino-haired male, his face a deep tan and his eyes a hazelnut brown. The man himself was nothing impressive, simply a good man in terms of military tactics, but his ideals were something that the common populous was blind to. His obvious rebellion against the score, to find a path led solely by himself and not the 'wretched' memory particles of Yulia's time, was something that the young Emperor admired in the young soldier.

Frings, the albino-haired male with solemn hazelnut eyes, was strong.

He had the strength to force his way through, though not in the sense that everyone else hated him in the process. The now-deemed general had the strength to support himself from nothing and make a name for himself, make something of himself that others in his name could not even dream of becoming.

He had become the Emperors disciple, after visiting the capitol.

"Aslan, come here, I need to ask you something."

"Yes, Peony?"

First names were always used when they were in private. Peony, the Emperor who was ever different from his father yet so similar to his mother, felt that if he should ever have any form of intimacy with anyone, it would be the one man who he could know to rebel, to give honest opinions, and to give a real friendship.

Jade, Curtis as of late, could not be trusted yet for a full friendship, for complete intimacy, but he was pretty damn close to it.

"What would you advise for this…"

It could be any and every situation, and Aslan, Frings as it would be, would always have the correct answer, whether or not the young Emperor actually agreed with it or not was a different situation, however. It could be the issue of the Hod war, obviously things they could not change, or the effects of the replication of Hod, something present and threatening humanity.

"Sir, I believe you will make the right decision."

"What did I say about formalities?"

"Sorry."

Peony always knew it was habit, and that no matter what he did, there would always be this little thing that twitched in the back of everyone's head that told them 'this is the Emperor, respect him'. This was one of the reasons that the young half-monarch took to acting like something he wasn't and wearing obviously bland clothing whenever he could. His maids and dressers, however, hated this part of him and would always drag him to the dressing rooms to glam out his outfit to the status he so rightly was.

"It's alright, what're friends for?"

He never said 'forgiven' like so befitted his position, he never said it was because of 'statuses', and he most definitely never said it was 'unlawful' for Aslan to forget these rules of informality. It just wasn't in Peony's honest nature to say that kind of thing, especially with his delicate-eared rappigs roaming around, on and under him.

Everything was simply friendship or whatever was more then just friendship.

And 'whatever was more' was more often then not the reason.

"Peony, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?"

There was a momentary pause, just long enough for a small silence to set in and for Aslan to think of what 'this' looked like, exactly. He quickly formed the feelings and thoughts of calmness mixed with a slight rapture that was leveled out with modesty and a permanent calmness expected by people in his military position.

"It looks like you're pinning me to your bed."

A small, half-winded laugh escaped the Emperor's lips, just long enough to quickly respond, the tone of voice seeming anything but lustful and greedy like the situation implied.

"Well, then, I'm pinning you to my bed."

Frings chuckled at this as well, though not as loudly and no where _near_ as fondly as the Emperor soon became of the particular position.

"Very well."

"Now, then, shall I continue?"

"If you must."

Sure, it sounded stuffy, stiff, formal, and even a bit too regal for every-day love and lust, but Peony could never find it within himself to sound like that replica Luke did when referring to the majesty's rappig walker, and no matter how hard the blond half-monarch tried, the words of familiarity and intimacy always escaped him.

"Peony, you know what?"

There was half a pause before a response became audible to them both.

"No, what?"

Peony, unlike Jade, did not know everything that could possibly exist in the vast dimensions of time and space. So this little mystery that Aslan Frings, the albino-haired general with bright eyes, possessed simply bemused him and made his entire mind think 'what is it?'

"I love you."

Emperors were meant to be born and raised strong, but because this particular one was only human with a broken childhood and lost dreams, the only one who could hope to protect him would be the albino-haired General with hazelnut eyes.

"I love you, too."

(x)

I-I like Peony x Frings. w ;;

(If you find any errors, let me know.)


End file.
